Anticipation was high heading into the four-man as word spread that this event was in fact his forte. As the anticipation built, so too did the interest – nearly 200 Bascue fans flocked to Whitehall High School to witness history and cheer on their local Olympian.

There was a fair amount of concern heading into Friday as well – it was reported that Bascue had suffered a calf injury during the two-man heats held earlier in the week.

Fortunately the injury was more an inconvenience than a game-changer and Bascue’s Olympic run continued unabated.

Bascue and teammates Sam McGuffie, Evan Weinstock and Steve Langton finished 12th in the first heat with a time of 49.09 seconds, just 0.55 seconds behind the leader.

“It was just lights out,” said Whitehall guidance counselor Topher Montville of the crowd’s reaction to Bascue’s run. “The excitement, the cheering, it was just out of this world; the place just went nuts.”

This is only a preview of the story published in the Whitehall Times. To read the full story, pick up a print copy of this week’s paper at the newsstand or read it online here.